A bankruptcy judge Wednesday ordered the liquidation of Newport Imports, once one of Orange County's most exclusive dealers of exotic luxury cars like Ferraris, Aston Martins and Jaguars. Judge John J. Wilson ordered that parent company Lee West Enterprises, operator of Newport Imports, be liquidated under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, said a lawyer involved in the case.

April 6, 1995 | BILL KOHLHAASE, Bill Kohlhaase is a free-lance writer who regularly covers jazz for the Times Orange County Edition.

The Newport Jazz Festival is the jazz world's Woodstock, Altamont and Lollapalooza all rolled into one. The longest-running festival of its kind, it is the subject of one of the all-time great concert films ("Jazz on a Summer's Day") and has played host to historic performances by such artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Billie Holiday, Ornette Coleman and Miles Davis. Begun in 1954 in Newport, R.I., the festival has survived tumultuous times and a variety of name changes.

Leland West, whose Newport Imports auto dealership until last year was the nation's biggest seller of Jaguars, filed Tuesday for protection from creditors under federal bankruptcy laws. One immediate effect of the filing by Lee West Enterprises is postponement of a foreclosure sale, to have been held Oct. 7, of the land and buildings that make up the heart of West's five-franchise exotic-car mall on Pacific Coast Highway.

A bankruptcy judge Wednesday ordered the liquidation of Newport Imports, once one of Orange County's most exclusive dealers of exotic luxury cars like Ferraris, Aston Martins and Jaguars. Judge John J. Wilson ordered that parent company Lee West Enterprises, operator of Newport Imports, be liquidated under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, said a lawyer involved in the case.

Lee West, the besieged purveyor of exotic cars and mainstream hamburgers at his auto dealership, will keep the Jaguar Diner open to his employees after the Newport Beach City Council ordered him to close the cafe to the public. "He will operate the diner for employees," West's lawyer, Richard Dear, said Tuesday. "We will try to get the paper work together to move forward to meet all city conditions for a full-scale restaurant. We want to be a good citizen. His livelihood is there."

A world premiere: the first true Toyota sports car, the Supra. A masterpiece: the Aston Martin Lagonda. A new subcompact: the Hyundai from Korea (it rhymes with Sunday). Those are but a few highlights of the 27th annual Orange County International Auto Show, which this year attracted virtually all of the world's 33 major manufacturers. More than 300 vehicles are on display through Sunday under five acres of tent next to Anaheim Stadium.

The owner of Ruby's Jaguar Diner, a 1950s-style eatery that is part of the Newport Imports automobile dealership, failed to win Planning Commission approval to keep the restaurant open 24 hours a day. However, the Coast Highway eatery won its bid to expand the operation to include outdoor dining. Lee West had been operating the restaurant round-the-clock until residents complained to the city. Officials told West he needed a special permit to maintain 24-hour operations.

James C. (Buzz) Person Jr., Newport Beach Planning Commission chairman, said Saturday that he once worked for and socialized with the restaurant owner who last week was accused of offering Person a $20,000 bribe. Person, 42, a Newport Beach lawyer, said that from 1977 to 1985, he handled business law problems for the 62-year-old Francis M. Delaney, owner of Orange County-based Delaney's Restaurants Inc. Delaney was arrested Friday on suspicion of bribery.

April 6, 1995 | BILL KOHLHAASE, Bill Kohlhaase is a free-lance writer who regularly covers jazz for the Times Orange County Edition.

The Newport Jazz Festival is the jazz world's Woodstock, Altamont and Lollapalooza all rolled into one. The longest-running festival of its kind, it is the subject of one of the all-time great concert films ("Jazz on a Summer's Day") and has played host to historic performances by such artists as Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Billie Holiday, Ornette Coleman and Miles Davis. Begun in 1954 in Newport, R.I., the festival has survived tumultuous times and a variety of name changes.

The owner of a 39-foot cabin cruiser remained hospitalized Friday after his boat rammed into a stone jetty at the Newport Bay harbor entrance and sank in about 20 feet of water, sheriff's officials said. The owner of the $270,000 boat, named Ferrari, was identified as Leland West, 50, of Newport Beach, said Sheriff's Lt. Richard J. Olson. West is the owner of Newport Imports.

Leland West, whose Newport Imports auto dealership until last year was the nation's biggest seller of Jaguars, filed Tuesday for protection from creditors under federal bankruptcy laws. One immediate effect of the filing by Lee West Enterprises is postponement of a foreclosure sale, to have been held Oct. 7, of the land and buildings that make up the heart of West's five-franchise exotic-car mall on Pacific Coast Highway.

The owner of Ruby's Jaguar Diner, a 1950s-style eatery that is part of the Newport Imports automobile dealership, failed to win Planning Commission approval to keep the restaurant open 24 hours a day. However, the Coast Highway eatery won its bid to expand the operation to include outdoor dining. Lee West had been operating the restaurant round-the-clock until residents complained to the city. Officials told West he needed a special permit to maintain 24-hour operations.

Lee West, the besieged purveyor of exotic cars and mainstream hamburgers at his auto dealership, will keep the Jaguar Diner open to his employees after the Newport Beach City Council ordered him to close the cafe to the public. "He will operate the diner for employees," West's lawyer, Richard Dear, said Tuesday. "We will try to get the paper work together to move forward to meet all city conditions for a full-scale restaurant. We want to be a good citizen. His livelihood is there."

A world premiere: the first true Toyota sports car, the Supra. A masterpiece: the Aston Martin Lagonda. A new subcompact: the Hyundai from Korea (it rhymes with Sunday). Those are but a few highlights of the 27th annual Orange County International Auto Show, which this year attracted virtually all of the world's 33 major manufacturers. More than 300 vehicles are on display through Sunday under five acres of tent next to Anaheim Stadium.

A former Newport Beach health club manager charged with extortion in the ransom kidnaping of Las Vegas gambling mogul Stephen A. Wynn's daughter delayed extradition by at least a week Thursday by insisting that Las Vegas authorities come to Los Angeles to identify him. Ray Marion Cuddy, 47, exercised his right to require federal prosecutors in Las Vegas to prove his identity in U.S.

In the search for more business and better addresses, four longtime Orange County dealers are shifting locations. Fletcher Jones Motorcars will be moving early next year to a new 9-acre lot on heavily traveled Jamboree Road and Bayview Way, where it expects to be able to house and sell about 45% more cars than it does at its digs on Quail Street.